The present invention generally relates to improved electrosurgical devices and methods for use. More particularly, this invention relates to a remotely wired adapter unit that can be coupled with an electrosurgical device for use as tool for ablating, cutting, or coagulating tissues via a wireless instrument with high frequency energy.
Electrosurgical devices are used in nearly every operating room today. Electrocautery systems are used as a substitute for a mechanical, sharp blade for the purposes of cutting tissue or coagulation. An electrosurgical device may be used in open-chest surgeries or in minimally invasive endoscopic operations. Known electrosurgical instruments include, for example, monopolar blades, bipolar forceps, bipolar scissors, monopolar hooks, monopolar scissors, bipolar endocutters, electric coagulators, or the like. Each of those instruments has an electrosurgical end effector which is adapted to treat tissue through application of electrosurgical energy to tissue which is brought in contact with the electrosurgical end effector. Most known electrosurgical instruments are connected by electrical cords or wires to electrosurgical generators.
In general, the terms for electrosurgery, electrocautery, radiosurgery, diathermy, endothermy and radiofrequency heating have all been used to refer to tissue application of radiofrequency electricity to obtain a desired effect. In its classic meaning, electrocautery is defined as the use of electricity to heat an object, which is then touched to the tissue to singe vessels. Electrosurgery usually uses radiofrequency electricity to generate heat in the tissue itself rather than applying heat from an outside source.
It has been noticed by surgeons that the standard electrocautery instrument is inconvenient for them to use due to the attached wire or electrical cord. The wire could become tangled on the cautery instrument or on another object, and can be troublesome to their hand motion, make cautery awkward and less efficient. The electrical cord is also a nuisance in that it requires monitoring and careful placement to ensure that it remains sterile during surgical operations. Some surgeons have developed innovative methods for hanging or suspending the electrical cords, facilitating use of the electrosurgical devices and reducing the interference of the cords. For example, Weber et al. described a novel, yet simple, electrosurgical suspension apparatus that facilitate the performance of excision and repair, Mohs micrographic surgery, cosmetic surgery, and other forms of dermatologic surgery in Dermatology Surgery 2000;26:142-145.
It has been noted that certain tasks, such as laparoscopic cautery, would benefit from the application of cautery without the use of another instrument such as cautery obturator. Furthermore, a surgeon has noted that he cannot always see as clearly as he would like while cutting in non-lapascopic surgeries.
The prior art of surgical cautery is mainly performed electrically with a monopolar or bipolar cautery instrument. The instrument transforms hospital available AC power into low current electricity, high frequency waveforms to cut through tissue and/or coagulate tissue. The attached electrical conducting wire or cord remains an unnecessary troublesome problem. This also applies to non-surgery electrical instruments.
An apparent form of the cordless electrosurgical device is a battery-powered cautery instrument or handpiece. U.S. Pat. No. 5,792,138 to Shipp discloses a cordless battery-operated electrocautery unit for use in surgical procedures. Though the battery-powered handpiece shows cordless advantages, the power may drift and the cautery efficiency demands constant battery exchange or recharge. The battery itself also increases the weight of the instrument.
Another alternative form of the cordless electrosurgical instruments is a specifically designed trocar or trocar adapter. U.S. Pat. No. 5,961,514 to Long et al. discloses a cordless electrosurgical instrument that is adapted to fit through a trocar which includes an electrosurgical adapter with at least a first electrical contact positioned in and extending axially along the elongated aperture, an electrical conductor, an external conductor, an outer housing and an electrical cord attached to it.
Electrosurgical generators supply electrical energy to the electrosurgical instruments through electrical cords. The cordless electrosurgical instrument as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,961,514 still requires a specially designed trocar having an attached electrical cord connected to a generator. Furthermore, the Long et. al. device needs an extra hand to engage the trocar or trocar adapter to the cordless instrument, which is not a contactably coupling technique and the device applies only to laparoscopic procedures.
Therefore, there is an unmet clinical need for integrating the power and signal source into a surgeon""s gloves and/or gown as a remotely wired system while the actual cautery or ablation is done with a cordless instrument. The technology that is readily applicable on a wireless instrument could apply to any cautery instrument, ablation handpiece, any electrosurgery apparatus, or the like.
In general, it is an object of the present invention to provide a wireless adapter unit for contactably coupling an electrosurgical device to a remote power source. In one preferred embodiment, a remotely wired adapter unit comprises at least one surface electrical contact for contactably coupling the electrosurgical device to the remote power source through a coupling mechanism. In another preferred embodiment, the coupling mechanism further comprises a glove having at least one electrically conductive patch zone located at an outer surface of the glove for contactably coupling the wireless adapter unit to the remote power source. The glove may further comprise an insulated glove conductor having a first end and a second end, the first end of said insulated glove conductor being connected to one of the at least one electrically conductive patch zone of the glove and the second end of said insulated glove conductor being coupled to said remote power source.
In another embodiment, the wireless adapter system further comprises a gown having an insulated gown conductor, the insulated gown conductor being positioned between the second end of the insulated glove conductor and said remote power source.
In still another embodiment, the wireless adapter unit further comprises a signal transmitter and the remote power source comprises a switching/receiver unit, wherein signals transmitted from said transmitter are received by the switching/receiver unit adapted for switching the power on. The signals may be transmitted either by short range radiofrequency transmission method or by capacitively coupled signal transmission method.
A method for performing a cordless electrosurgery operation, the method comprises contactably coupling a wireless adapter unit along with an electrosurgical device to a remote power source through a coupling mechanism on a surgeon""s glove, a surgeon""s gown, and the like.